Sheet orienting apparatus

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an apparatus for properly orienting a thin flexible lighographic master sheet prior to the master sheet being fed to and clamped onto the master sheet cylinder of a lithographic press. The apparatus is basically a flat tray with movable pushers mounted thereon for shifting a sheet deposited on the tray in a lateral direction with respect to the direction of travel of the sheet and also longitudinally along the direction of travel of the sheet in order to place the sheet in a precise predetermined position with respect to a take-away mechanism. The apparatus also includes a movable wire guide device which maintains the sheet in a flat condition while it is being oriented to prevent the sheet from buckling more than the very slight degree which is specifically provided for to assure proper orientation. The device is constructed to be self-powered and readily removable from the duplicating machine with which it is normally associated.

[451 Apr. 15, 1975 Miciukiewicz SHEET ORIENTINC APPARATUS [75] Inventor:Joseph F. Miciukiewicz, Trumbull,

Conn.

[73] Assignee: Pitney-Bowes, lnc., Stamford. Conn.

[22] Filed: Nov. 8, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 413,836

[52] U.S. Cl. 271/227; 271/233; 271/236 [51] Int. Cl B65h 9/10 [58]Field of Search... 271/58, 227, 236-238, 271/233 [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 898.831 9/1908 Casey 271/238 1.996.913 4/1935Evans 271/5 2.201.604 5/1940 Backhouse.... 27l/237 2,880,999 4/1959Oldenboom 271/233 2.915.950 12/1959 La Bombard 27l/233 3.022.068 2/1962Weidman 271/236 3542360 ll/l970 Carey 271/58 3.603.584 9/1971 Schmidtke271/227 Primary ExuminerRichard A, Schacher Assistant ExaminerBruce H.Stoner, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or FirmWilliam D. Soltow, Jr.; Albert W.Scribner; Martin D. Wittstein [57] ABSTRACT Disclosed is an apparatusfor properly orienting a thin flexible lighographic master sheet priorto the master sheet being fed to and clamped onto the master sheetcylinder of a lithographic press. The apparatus is basically a flat traywith movable pushers mounted thereon for shifting a sheet deposited onthe tray in a lateral direction with respect to the direction of travelof the sheet and also longitudinally along the direction of travel ofthe sheet in order to place the sheet in a precise predeterminedposition with respect to a takeaway mechanism. The apparatus alsoincludes a movable wire guide device which maintains the sheet in a flatcondition while it is being oriented to prevent the sheet from bucklingmore than the very slight degree which is specifically provided for toassure proper orientation. The device is constructed to be self-poweredand readily removable from the duplicating machine with which it isnormally associated.

14 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures SH EET ORIENTING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The apparatus of the present invention has been designedprincipally for use in a relatively new concept in the graphicduplicating field, that is, in a machine which combines electrostaticcopying and lithographic duplicating techniques to produce large numbersof copies of documents. Such a machine. as well as a novel method forproducing the copies are disclosed in a copending application Ser. No.453,274, filed Mar. 21, 1974 and assigned to the assignee of thisapplica? tion. Basically, the concept of the method and machinedisclosed in that application is the combination of the electrostaticand lithographic disciplines in such a manner that the electrostaticcomponent of the machine produces a single electrostatic copy of adocument in a form suitable for simple conversion of the electrostaticcopy to a lithographic master which is then used in a lithographic pressto make ink copies of the original document.

While electrostatic copiers and lithographic presses per se havelongbeen well known, the combination machine disclosed in the abovementioned application (which disclosure is incorporated herein byreference) provides a totally automatic and continuous sequence ofoperations. one of which is accomplished by the apparatus ofthe presentinvention. The machine referred to utilizes a suitable photoconductivematerial which is thin and flexible so that it can be handled by arotary press. A sheet of this material is uniformly electrostaticallycharged. exposed to a light pattern from an original document to producea latent electrostatic image and then developed by the application ofelectrostatically attractable toner particles. The sheet is then fed,through the instrumentality of the present invention, to a lithographicpress in which the sheet is first etched with an appropriate etchingsolution which renders the background areas on the sheet hydrophilic soas to attract water and repel ink. while the image areas remainoleophilic by the nature of the toner particles so that the image areasrepel water and attract ink. Thereafter, ink copies are produced in anormal manner.

In one form of a combined electrostatic and lithographic duplicatingmachine shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,451,336 and 3,521,560, a lithographicmaster is prepared by means of electrostatic copying techniques and isthen conveyed from the copying apparatus to and through an etching bothdevice. after which the master is conveyed to a lithographic press. Noparticular means is disclosed in these patents for orienting the masterwith respect to the master cylinder of the press other than mere guidemeans defining a path of travel' from the etching device to the press.Another U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,005, discloses a type of sheet aligningdevice which may be used in conjunction with the machine disclosed inthe previously mentioned patents, but this device has not proven to besatisfactory since it relies on yieldable spring members to orient asheet disposed in the wire frame member. The degree of properorientation is dependent on variable factors such as the flexibility ofthe sheet material, the extent of moisture in the sheet and variationsin the strength of the spring material, all of which affect the relativefreedom of movement of the master sheet within the wire frame. Thus thedevice is not reliable for lateral alignment, and is totally lacking inlongitudinal alignment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally tosheet orienting devices and more particularly to such devices for use inorienting master sheets preparatory to loading the sheets onto themaster cylinder ofa lithographic press.

The device comprises, in its broader aspects, a flat sheet support traywhich is adapted to be supported in the duplicating machine in positionto receive master sheets from the copying component and to discharge theoriented sheets to a transfer gripper mechanism which forms part of thelithographic press component of the duplicating machine. A suitablefeeding means is provided for feeding sheets onto the support tray.There is also provided a movable side edge sheet registering means andmovable front edge sheet registering means, each with an independentlyoperable actuating mechanism for moving the sheet both laterally andlongitudinally on the sheet support tray in order to establish apredetermined dimensional and time relationship between the sheet andthe transfer gripper mechanism of the lithographic press component.Means are provided for initiating operation of the actuating mechanismsin a predetermined timed sequence in response to the arrival of a sheeton the sheet support tray.

Preferably, the device also includes a wire guide mechanism whichoverlied the sheet support tray and which comprises a plurality of wirefingers mounted for movement toward and away from the support tray,there being independently movable front and rear wire guide mechanismand independently operable actuating means for each wire guide mechanismso that they can be actuated in a predetermined timed sequence. Further,all of the actuating means are controlled by cams mounted on a singlecam shaft which is driven by a motor mounted on the orienter devicewhereby the device is self powered and requires only an initiatingsignal to cause the orienter device to run through a cycle of operation.Preferably this signal is generated in response to the arrival of asheet on the support tray.

The orienter device of this invention, when interposed between thecopying component and the press component of a duplicating machine suchas disclosed in the above noted U.S. patents provides a predetermineddimensional and time relationship between two units which otherwiseoperate asynchronously. Without the device of this invention, it isnecessary to precisely synchronize the operation of the copier componentwith that of the press component in order to assure properly spaced andvtimed transfer of master sheets from the copier component to the presscomponent.

Having described the general nature of the present invention, it is aprincipal object thereof to provide an orienting device for establishinga predetermined dimensional and time relationship between a sheet and areceiving apparatus to which the sheet is fed by the orienter device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an orienterdevice interposed between the electrostatic copier and lithographicpress components of a duplicating machine which components haveasynchronous operation, the orienter device serving to receive a mastersheet from the copier component and properly orient the sheet anddeliver it to the press component.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an orienterdevice which receives a sheet in flat condition and positively shiftsthe sheet both laterally and longitudinally in order to preciselyregister the sheet with predetermined guide means.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide an orienterdevice in which all of the sheet moving and restraininginstrumentalities of the device are powered by means contained withinthe orienter device so that the device is self powered and modular,thereby making the device easily removable from the duplicating machinefor service or replacement.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide anorienter device which is reliable in operation, relatively inexpensiveto manufacture and maintain and which requires substantially no operatorcontrol.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will bemore readily appreciated from an understanding of the following detaileddescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention when consideredin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. I is a plan view of the orienter device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the orienter device shown in FIG. 1;

ing portion of the orienter device shown in FIG. 1 with portions brokenaway for clarity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring now to the drawings and particularly toFIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown a sheet orienting device whichcomprises a flat, generally rectangular sheet support plate 12 which isdimensioned a little larger in length and width than the correspondingdimensions of the master copy sheet generated by the duplicating machinein which the orienter apparatus will be used. The plate 12 is supportedin the aforesaid duplicating machine by a pair of side frame plates 14of which one is shown in FIG. 2, the orienter being mounted in theduplicating machine such that the entry end of the orienter, which isdefined by the feed roller pair 16, is disposed adjacent the dischargeend of the sheet conveying structure of the duplicating machine whichfeeds the master sheets to the orienting device 10. The feed roller pair16 is driven by any suitable connection from the main drive motor 18 ofthe copying component of the duplicating machine, this motor beingcontinuously driven while the master copy sheet is being made and beingturned off after the lithograph press commences to operate. The copyingcomponent motor is re-energized when a new copying cycle is initiated,thereby restarting the roller pair 16. Since the particular drivingmeans for the roller pair 16 is not significant to the presentinvention, it is not shown in detail. The letter M designates a mastercopy sheet being delivered onto the sheet support plate 12 by the rollerpair 16, the sheet M being withdrawn from the upstream conveyingstructure asmentioned above.

The orienter device 10 in general is provided with movable side edge andlead edge registering means in order to establish a predeterminedposition of the sheet M on the plate 12 both laterally andlongitudinallywith respect to the direction of travel of the sheet M through theorienter device 10. The device is also provided with a movable sheethold down means to maintain the sheet M in a flat condition on the platel2, therebeing a separate and independently movable hold down means forboth the entry and exit ends of the orienter device. There is alsoprovided actuating meansfor moving the side and lead edge registeringmeans and both hold down means all in a timed sequence so that eachinstrumentality acts on the sheet in a particular timed relationshipwith the result that the sheet M is presented to a plurality oftake-away grippers, generally designated by the numeral 20, at theproper moment and properly located with respect to the grippers 20.

It should be generally noted at this point that the grippers 20 are partof atransfer structure which takes the sheet M from the orienter l0 andtransfers the sheet from the orienter to the master sheet cylinder ofthe lithographic press component of the duplicating machine. This isaccomplished by causing the upper and lower gripping fingers 22 and 24to separate to allow the lead edge of the sheet M to enter therebetween.after which the fingers 22 and 24 close and the entire transferstructure swings in an arc to move the lead edge of the sheet M into thepath of a plurality of gripping fingers which are mounted on androtating with the master cylinder of the lithographic press. In a mannerwell known in the art, the sheet M is then transferred from the transfergripping structure 20 to the master cylinder gripping fingers and thetransfer grip pers 20 return to the position shown in FIG. 2 to awaitthe arrival of the next master sheet.

Considering now the above mentioned instrumentalities in more detail,the side edge registering means comprises an elongate L-shaped pusherplate generally designated by the numeral 30 and best seen in FIGS. Thepusher plate 30 comprises an' upstanding flange 32 which abuts the sideedge of a sheet M to move the latter laterally on the plate 12.Theflange 32 is integral with a horizontal plate portion 34 which issuitably supported beneath the plate 12 for limited lateral movement bymeans ofa link 36 (FIG. 1) connected as at 38 to the plate portion 34,the link 36 having an elongateslot 40 which permits limitedreciprocatory movement of the link 36 with respect to a pin 42 mountedon the underside of the plate 12. The L-shaped pusher plate 30 isadditionally supported by two pairs of bell cranks which in turn aresupported by the plate 12, all in a' manner and for the purpose now tobe described.

The pusher plate portion 34 has a pair of spaced extensions 44 formedintegrally with the portion 34 and each extension having a pin 46carried thereby for engagement by a slot 48 formed in one leg of each oftwo pairs of bell cranks generally designated by the numerals 50, 52, 54and 56 as best seen in FIG. I. In other words, adjacent legs 58 and 60,and 62 and 64 respec-' tively of each pair of bell cranks are connectedby the pins 46. The bell cranks 50, 52, 54 and 56 are pivotallyconnected to the plate 12 by pivot pins 66, 68, and 72 respectively. Theabove arrangement for the bell crank 50 is more clearly shown in FIG. 5.From the construction thus far described, it will be seen that if thebell crank pairs are oscillated about their respective pivots, thepusher plate 30 will be reciprocated inwardly and outwardly within thelimits of the engagement between the slot 40 and the pin 42. Twoextensions 44 and two sets of bell cranks are provided to assure thatthe pusher plate 30 remains properly aligned with the support plate 12and the fixed guide 33 during movement of the pusher plate 30.

In order to oscillate the bell cranks, there is provided a yieldedconnection between one bell crank of each pair and an actuatingmechanism which moves the bell cranks under the influence of a timingcam. Thus, referring again to FIG. I, each bell crank has an outwardlyextending leg 74, 76, 78 and 80 respectively for the bell cranks 50, 52,54 and 56. The legs 74 and 78 of the bell cranks 50 and 54 each carry apin 82 on the lower end of each of which is connected one end of aspring 84, the other end of each spring being connected to another pin86, again each of which is carried by a horizontal tab 88, the two suchtabs 88 being formed integrally with the horizontal web 89 of anL-shaped slide bar generally indicated by the numeral 90 (note FIGS. 4and 5). The slide bar 90 is supported on the orienter by a pair of slotand pin connections, one of which is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 as slot 92and pin 94, the latter being mounted in one of the side frame plates 14.The vertical web 96 of the slide bar 90 carries a cam follower 98 whichis acted upon by a cam I00 fixed to a cam shaft 102 suitably supportedby the side frame plates 14 and extending across the width of theorienter as seen in FIG. 1 and driven by a motor 104 which is mounted onone of the side frame plates 14 in any suitable manner.

By considering the structure thus far described with reference to FIGS.1, 4 and 5, it will be seen that rotation of the cam shaft 102 in acounterclockwise direction as indicated by the arrows in FIGS. 4 and 5will cause the cam I00 initially to push the cam follower 98 toward theleft as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5, which will move the slide bar 90correspondingly within the limits of the engagement of the slot 92 andpin 94. The movement of the slide bar, carrying the two pins 86, willact on the springs 84 to yieldably urge the legs 74 and 78 of the bellcranks 50 and 54 toward the left as seen in FIG. 1, thereby pivoting thebell cranks and moving the side edge pusher member inwardly asheretofore described. When the cam 100 rotates sufficiently to allow thefollower 98 to move toward the right as viewed in FIG. 4, the slide bar90 will be urged in the reverse direction by any suitable yielding meanssuch as the tension spring 106 connected between the right end of theslide bar and any suitable fixed point on the orienter 10. This returnmovement of the slide bar 90 will in turn act through the yieldableconnection between the slide bar 90 and the bell cranks 50 and 54 toallow the latter to return to their normal position under the influenceof the spring 106 which causes the edges 91 of the tabs 88 to contactthe pins 82 thereby pushing the bell cranks 50 and 54 to their normalposition, which will in turn move the side edge pusher member 30outwardly to its initial position.

In order to properly register a sheet M on the plate 12, the latter isprovided with an upstanding flange 33 (FIG. I) on the side of the plate12 opposite from the flange 32 of the movable pusher plate 30. It willbe apparent that the distance between the flange 32 and 33 may be suchthat the movable pusher plate 30 moves the sheet M laterally on theplate 12 just far enough that the side edge of the sheet M abuts theflange 33,

which thereby constitutes a fixed side guide for the sheet M.

Preferably, however, the movable pusher mechanism just described isdesigned to push the edge of the sheet which it contacts a little closerto the fixed side guide than the width of the sheet, thereby producing aslight longitudinal buckle in the sheet, after which the movable pusherbacks off a small amount so that the sheet lies flat on the plate 12.The advantage of this is to assure that the sheet M, which is stillslightly damp from the developer solution and somewhat limp, is properlyregistered with the fixed side guide 33. This function is accomplishedin the following manner. Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4, it will beseen that the horizontal web 89 of the L-shaped slide bar 90 is providedwith a pair of tabs 108 and 110 which project outwardly far enough tocontact a pair of pins 112 and 114 respectively carried by the legs 76and 80 of the bell cranks 52 and 56. The tabs 108 and 110 contact thepins 112 and 114 just a little in advance of the point where the cam 100has moved the cam follower 98 through its full extent of movement towardthe left as viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5, with the result that at the momentof contact of the tabs with the pins, the slide bar will still movefurther toward the left upon continued rotation of the cam 100.

With the above in mind, it will now be noted that the parts aredimensionally related so that the flange 32 has moved the side of thesheet M which it contacts closer to the fixed flange 33 than the widthof the sheet, thereby producing the longitudinal buckle, at the timewhen the tabs 108 and 110 contact the pins 112 and 114, so that thesheet M is now properly registered with the fixed flange 33. Uponcontinued rotation of the cam and slight further movement of the camfollower 98 toward the left, the slide bar 90 and the tabs 108 and willalso move further toward the left, as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 5, and thiswill cause a slight rotation of the bell cranks 52 and 56 in acounterclockwise direction. This in turn will cause a slight reversemovement of the pusher plate 30 thereby slightly moving the flange 32away from the fixed flange 33 to the point where the sheet M lies flaton the plate 12. The slight reverse movement of the bell cranks 50, 52,54 and 56 while the slide bar 90 is still moving toward the left isaccommodated by the spring connections 84 between the pins 86 on theslide bar 90 and the pins 82 on the bell cranks 50 and 54. The springs84 are selected to have sufficient strength to rotate the bell cranks tomove the pusher plate 30 inwardly until the tabs 108 and 110 strike thepins 112 and 114, but to yield at that point to allow the slightopposite rotation of the bell cranks to withdraw the pusher plate enoughto allow the sheet M to lie flat. The dimensions of the parts areselected so that the pusher plate flange 32 will be spaced from thefixed side guide 33 by approximately the width of the sheet M when thepusher plate 30 has moved to its final position so that the flange 32and guide 33 form a channel for guiding the sheet M in flat while it isbeing registered with the fixed side guide 33 and to prevent the sheetfrom being lifted off of the plate 12 by a vacuum drying device which islocated over the orienting device in the copier-duplicating machine inorder to achieve further drying of the sheet M while it is waiting to beloaded onto the master cylinder of the lithographic press. The wireguide mechanism is divided into two independently movable front and rearwire guides, each with its own actuating mechanism to move the wireguide mechanism toward and away from the plate 12.

More particularly, and with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, there isprovided a front wire guide comprising a plurality of wire fingers 120which are suitably rigidly mounted on a shaft 122 which in turn isrotatably supported by the side frame members of the orienter 10. Asbest seen in FIG. 2, the fingers 120 normally lie a slight distance overthe upper surface of the plate 12, and are movable from the solid lineposition to an elevated position shown in dotted lines by means yet tobe described. The rear wire guide comprises a plurality of similar wirefingers 124 which are rigidly mounted on another shaft 128 which in turnis rotatably supported by the side frame plates of the orienter. Therear wire guide fingers 124 normally lie in an elevated position withrespect to the plate 12 as shown in the solid line position in FIG. 2and are movable to the flat position shown in dotted lines by actuatingmechanism yet to be described. Any suitable spring means, such as theleaf springs 130 (FIG. 2) may be employed to maintain the front and rearguide fingers in their respective solid line normal positions. It willnow be apparent that rotation of the shafts I22 and 128 in a clockwisedirection will raise the front guides 120 and lower the rear guides 124,and rotation of the shafts in the opposite direction will lower thefront guides and raise the rear guides. It should be noted that thefront and rear guide fingers are not mounted on the same shaft becausemovement thereof is sequential rather than simultaneous by the actuatingmechanism to be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, a link 132 is rigidly connected to the shaft 122and projects downwardly beneath the plate 12, the link 132 carries a camfollower 134 which engages a cam 136 rigidly mounted on the shaft 102previously described. Another link 138 is rigidly connected to the shaft128 and projects downwardly beneath the plate 12, the link 138 alsocarrying a cam follower 140 which engages a cam 142 rigidly mounted onthe shaft 102 adjacent to the cam 136. The spatial relation of thelinks, cam followers and cams can be seen in FIG. 1, wherein it will beseen that at least the links 132 and 138 which project above the plate12 are outside of the fixed guide flange 33 so as not to interfere withproper registration of the sheet M against the flange 33. Referring backto FIG. 2, it will be seen that tension springs 144 and 146 areconnected at one end respectively to the lower end of the links 132 and138 and at the other end to a pin 148 mounted in the adjacent side framemember, the springs serving to maintain the cam followers 134 and 140 incontinuous contact with their respective cams.

From the structure thus described, it will be apparent that rotation ofthe shaft 102 and the cams 136 and 142 will cause the cam followers 134and 140 to move from the positions indicated by the circles which havenumeral lead lines connected thereto to the adjacent positions indicatedby the circles without lead lines. This causes corresponding rotation ofthe links 132 and 138 and the shafts 122 and 128 which in turn rotatesthe guide fingers and 124 with respect to the plate 12 as hereinabovedescribed. As will be explained in more detail later, the cams 136 and142 are shaped so as to produce the aforementioned movement of the guidefingers 120 and 124 in a predetermined timed sequence along with theother functions of the orienting device 10.

The orienter 10 is also provided with a lead edge registering meanswhich acts upon the trail edge of the sheet after it has been depositedon the support plate to move the sheet longitudinally to a predeterminedlocation in which the lead edge of the sheet is properly registered withthe transfer gripper mechanism 20 associated with the lithographicprocess component of the duplicating machine. This gripper mechanism andits interaction with the orienter device of the present invention willbe better understood from the following detailed description.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, there is shown a slide plate 150 mounted onthe under surface of the plate 12 by means of a suitable screw andwasher fastener 152, the slide plate 150 having elongate slits 154 whichpermit limited movement of the slide plate 150 longitudinally of thesupport plate 12. The right hand end of the slide plate 150 is providedwith a plurality of upstanding fingers 156 which project upwardlythrough elongate notches 158 formed in the support plate 12. An L-shapedlink 160 is connected by means of screw and nut fasteners 162 to theslide bar 150, the depending leg 164 of the link 160 having one end of atension spring 166 connected thereto, the other end of which isconnected to a depending tab 168 which is suitably connected to thesupport plate 12. Thus, the spring 166 acting through the link 160 andthe slide bar 150 maintains the fingers 156 in their normal solid lineposition shown in FIG. 3. It should be noted that the rearmost positionof the fingers 156 is substantially beneath the feed rollers 16 so thatthe trail edge of the sheet M will be deposited in front of the fingers156.

An actuating mechanism is provided for alternately moving the fingers156 to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 3. Thus, the lint 160 isprovided with an angled, downwardly extending tab 170 which is engagedby a pin 172 carried by the upper end ofa rocker arm 174 rotatablymounted on a shaft 176 supported between the side frame plates 14. Therocker arm 174 also carries a cam follower 178 which is engaged by a cam180 mounted on the shaft 102 heretofore described. lt will now beapparent that rotation of the shaft 102 and the cam 180 moves the camfollower from the solid line position of FIG. 3 to the dotted lineposition which in turn rocks the arm 174 to move the pin 172 to the lefthand dotted line position, thereby moving the link 160, the slide bar150 and the fingers 156 toward the left until the fingers 156 reach thedotted line position thereof. The fingers 156 bear against the rear edgeof a sheet M in order to register the lead edge thereof with theaforementioned transfer gripper mechanism as now to be described.

As briefly mentioned in the early portion of the detailed description ofthe invention, the transfer gripper mechanism 20 comprises a pair ofgripper fingers 22 and 24 which separate by suitable mechanism whichneed not be further described to allow the lead edge of a sheet M toenter therebetween and be gripped by the fingers 22 and 24 after thefingers close. The gripper structure 20 then swings in a predeterminedarc from the position shown in FIG. 2 to a remote location where thelead edge of the sheet is transferred from the transfer gripper 20 togripping fingers mounted on the rotating master cylinder. The edge ofthe support plate 12 is provided with notches 182 to allow spacedportions of the lead edge of the sheet accessible to the grippers 20. Itwill be understood that the orienter device is mounted in theduplicating machine so that the notches 182 are properly aligned withthe plurality of grippers both laterally and longitudinally with regardto the right hand limit position of the grippers 20 as viewed in FIG; 2.Also. the parts of the orienter 10 associated with the limits ofmovement of side pusher plate 30 and the rear pushing finger 156 aredesigned so that the sheet is in the desired position with respect tothe grippers 20 when the pushers are at the limit of their movement.

There has been described thus far the structure by which a desireddimensional relationship is established between the master sheet and thetransfer gripper mechanism. Now to be described is the means by which adesired time relationship is established between the master sheet andthe gripper mechanism so that the di mensional relationship is properlytimed with the movement of the gripper mechanism and the other operatingcomponents of the duplicating machine. This is best accomplished bydescribing a cycle of operation of the orienter device in conjunctionwith its function in cooperation with the copying and duplicatingcompo.- nents of the entire duplicating machine.

When it is desired to make several copies of a document. the document isplaced in the copying component and the latter is energized to make anelectrostatic Copy of the document by electrostatic techniques wellknown in the art and which form no part of the present invention.However. when the copier component is energized. the main driving motor18 for the copier component begins to run and this drives the feedrollers 16 through any suitable connection. When the master sheet Mexits from the copier component, it is directed into the nip of the feedrollers 16 by any suitable guide means and the feed rollers 16 move thesheet M onto the support plate 12. At this point, the rear wire guidefingers 124 are in their elevated position. the front wire guide fingers120 are in their lower position, the side pusher plate 30 is in itsoutermost position and the rear pusher fingers 156 are in theiroutermost position, all as shown in the solid line positions of theseparts in the drawings. Also. the transfer gripper mechanism 20 of thelithographic press is in the position shown in FIG.

As the sheet M moves along the support plate 12 under the influence ofthe feed rollers 16, the lead edge of the sheet passes between aphotocell 183 suitably mounted on the under surface of the support plate12, the photocell normally receiving light through an aperture 184 inthe plate 12 from any suitable source of illumination 186 mounted overthe plate 12. The function of the photocell 183 is to energize the motor104 of the orienter 10 to start driving the shaft 102 on which all ofthe previously described actuating cams are mounted. When the lead edgeof the sheet M blocks the illumination to the photocell and energizesthe motor 104, there is an initial period of rotation of the shaft 102during which nothing happens to allow the entire sheet M to be fedthrough the feed rollers 16 and to settle upon the support plate 12. Itshould be noted at this point that normally the sheet M will be entirelyupon the support plate 12 before the lead edge thereof reaches the exitend of the support plate; however, in the unlikely event that the sheetM tends to over-travel the orienter device, the lower gripper finger 24of the transfer gripper 20 is formed with a nose portion 25 which liesin the path of movement of the sheet M and acts as a front stop toprevent further movement of the sheet.

After the sheet M has settled upon the support plate 12, furtherrotation of the shaft 102 causes the cam 142 to rotate to the pointwhere the cam follower 140 allows the link 138 to pivot in a clockwisedirection under the influence of the spring 146 thereby rotating theshaft 128 to drop the wire guide fingers 124 to the dotted line positionshown in FIG. 2. At this point both the front and rear wire guidefingers are in their depressed position. Next, the cam 100 begins tomove the cam follower 98 toward the left as viewed in FIG. 5, therebymoving the L-shaped slide plate and pulling on the springs 84 so as torotate the bell cranks 50, 52, 54 and 56 in their respective properdirections so as to move the pusher plate 30 toward the fixed side guide33, thereby moving the sheet M laterally in the same direction, andcausing the longitudinal buckle in the sheet M at a point just beforethe cam 100 exerts its greatest influence on the cam follower 98.Further rotation of the cam 100 then causes the tabs 108 and 110 toengage and push on the pins 112 and 144 to cause slight counter rotationof the bell cranks 50, 52, 54 and 56 in order to slightly retract thepusher plate 30, thereby allowing the sheet M to assume a fully flatposition on the plate 12.

At this point the cam 180 begins to move the cam follower 178 to rockthe arm 174 in a counterclockwise direction to move the link and slidebar 150 toward the left. thereby moving the rear edge pusher fingers 156to the dotted line position of FIG. 3 and moving the sheet M toward theexit end of the orienter 10.

Immediately after the rear pusher fingers 156 reach the limit of theirmovement, the transfer gripper mechanism 20 of the press component gripsthe leading edge of the sheet M. At that point, the cam 136 has rotatedfar enough to commence movement of the cam follower 134 in order topivot the link 132 in a counter clockwise direction against the urgingof the spring 144 thereby rotating the shaft 122 in the same directionto raise the from wire fingers 120 to their dotted line position. Atthis point, the transfer gripper mechanism 20 swings away from theorienter l0 and carries the sheet M therewith for transfer to the mastercylinder of the press component.

When the trailing edge of the sheet M passes the photocell 183, themotor 104 is not deenergized because a holding circuit switch l88.havingan actuating arm 190 is held closed by the action of another cam 192mounted on the shaft 102. Thus the shaft 102 continues to rotate untilit reaches its home position or the position it occupied at thebeginning of the cycle. During this continued rotation of the shaft 102,the cams 136 and 142 sequentially reset the rear and from wire guidefingers by reverse movement of the parts described above, and similarlythe cams 100 and continue rotation to the point where the side pusherplate 30 and rear pusher fingers 156 are reset to their originalpositions. When the shaft 102 has completed one revolution, the cam 192allows the switch 188 to open the holding circuit to the motor 104thereby'deenergizing the motor and completing the cycle of operation ofthe orienter device 10.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for orienting sheets in a predetermined dimensional andtimed relationship between two independently operable instrumentalities,said device comprising:

A. sheet support means adapted to be positioned between theinstrumentalities to receive a sheet from one instrumentality anddeliver the sheet to the other instrumentality, said sheet support meansbeing dimensioned to be at least slightly larger in length and widththan the corresponding dimensions of the sheet to be handled,

B. means for feeding sheets onto said sheet support means insubstantially flat condition,

C. sheet guide means mounted on said device over substantially theentire extent of said support means in closely spaced relationship withsaid support means for maintaining a sheet thereon in substantially flatcondition,

D. movable side edge registering means mounted on said device forestablishing a predetermined position of a sheet on said support meanslaterally with respect to the direction of travel of the sheet alongsaid support means,

E. movable lead edge registering means mounted on said device adjacentan inlet end of said sheet ori enting device in position to engage thetrailing edge of a sheet deposited on said support means by said feedingmeans for establishing a predetermined position of the sheet on saidsupport means longitudinally with respect to the direction of travel ofthe sheet along said support means,

F. actuating means for moving said side edge registering means and saidlead edge registering means in a predetermined timed sequence, and

G. means operable to initiate operation of said actuating means when asheet is deposited upon said support means by said feeding means.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means operable toinitiate operation of said actuating means comprises means responsive tothe arrival of a sheet on said support means.

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein said actuating means for saidside edge registering means and said lead edge registering meansincludes a source ofpower mounted on said orienting device for operatingsaid actuating means, and said means operable to initiate operation ofsaid actuating means comprises means responsive to the arrival of asheet on said support means for energizing said source of power. 1

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said sheet guide meanscomprises a plurality of elongate fingers extending substantiallyhorizontally over said sheet support means and substantially from oneend of said sheet support means to the other, means mounting saidfingers for limited movement thereof toward and away from said supportmeans to facilitate entry and exit of a sheet to and from said sheetsupport means, and actu- 6 A. a first plurality of elongate fingersextending substantially horizontally over said sheet support means froman intermediate location toward one end of said sheet support means,

B. a second plurality of elongate fingers extending substantiallyhorizontally over said sheet support means from said intermediatelocation toward the opposite end of said sheet support means,

C. means disposed at said intermediate location for mounting saidfirst-and second plurality of fingers for movement toward and away fromsaid sheet support means to facilitate entry of a sheet to and from saidsheet support means, and

D. actuating means for moving said first and second plurality of fingersindependently in a predetermined timed relationship.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein said actuating means for saidfirst and second plurality of fingers and said actuating means for saidside edge registering means and said lead edge registering areoperatively associated to actuate said first and second plurality offingers in a predetermined timed relationship with the actuation of saidside edgeregistering means and said lead edge registering means.

7. A device according to claim 6 wherein said actuating means for saidfirst and second plurality of fingers, said side edge registering meansand said front edge registering means includes a source of power foroperating all said actuating means, and wherein said means operable toinitiate operation of said actuating means comprises means responsive tothe arrival of a sheet on said support means for energizing said sourceof power.

8. A device according to claim 1 wherein said mov able lead edgeregistering means comprises:

A. a plurality of spaced apart fingers projecting upwardly throughapertures formed adjacent the entry end of said sheet support means, and

B. means mounting said fingers on said sheet support means for limitedmovement longitudinally of the direction of travel of a sheet along saidsheet sup port means, and

wherein said sheet feeding means is mounted on said sheet support meansin juxtaposition with the outermost position of said fingers to therebydeposit a sheet on said sheet support means in position to have the rearedge of a sheet engaged by said fingers when said fin-' gers are moved'by said actuating means.

9. A device for orienting sheets in a predetermined dimensional andtimed relationship between two independently operable instrumentalities,said device comprising:

A. sheet support means adapted to be positioned between theinstrumentalities to receive a sheet from one instrumentality anddeliver the sheet to the other instrumentality, said sheet support meansbeing-dimensioned to be at least slightly larger in length and widththan the corresponding dimensions of the sheet to be handled,

B. means for feeding sheets onto said support means in substantiallyflat condition,

C. sheet guide means mounted on said device over substantially theentire extent of said sheet support means in closely spaced relationwith said sheet support means for limited movement toward and away fromsaid sheet support means,

D. side edge registering means mounted on said device along onelongitudinal edge of said sheet support means for limited movementtoward and away from the opposite longitudinal edge of said sheetsupport means,

E. lead edge registering means mounted on said device adjacent an inletend of said sheet orienting device in position to engage the trailingedge of a sheet deposited on said support means by said feeding meansadjacent one lateral edge of said sheet support means for movementtoward and away from the opposite lateral edge of said sheet supportmeans, and

F. actuating means for moving said sheet guide means, said side edgeregistering means and said lead edge registering means successively in apredetermined timed sequence whereby said sheet guide means moves towardsaid sheet support means to maintain a sheet thereon in flat condition,said side edge registering means then moves toward said oppositelongitudinal edge to register the sheet laterally of said sheet supportmeans and said lead edge registering means then moves toward saidopposite lateral edge to register the sheet longitudinally of said sheetsupport means.

10. A device according to claim 9 wherein said sheet guide meanscomprises:

A. first guide means extending substantially horizontally over saidsheet support means from an intermediate location toward one end of saidsheet support means.

B. second guide means extending substantially horizontally over saidsheet support means from said intermediate location toward the other endof said sheet support means, and

C. means disposed at said intermediate location for mounting said firstand second guide means for independent movement toward and away fromsaid sheet support means.

ll. A device according to claim 10 wherein said actuating means includesmeans for moving said first and second guide means independently of eachother and in predetermined timed sequence with said side edgeregistering means and said lead edge registering means such that saidfirst guide means moves toward said sheet support means prior to saidside edge registering means moving toward said opposite longitudinaledge and said second sheet guide means moves away from said sheetsupport means after said lead edge registering means moves toward saidopposite lateral edge.

12. A device according to claim 11 wherein said actuating meanscomprises:

A. a cam shaft,

B. a plurality of cams fixedly mounted on said cam shaft, one for eachof said first and second sheet guide means, said side edge registeringmeans and said lead edge registering means,

C. a plurality of cam followers operatively associated with said cams,and

D. linkage means operatively interconnecting said cam followers withsaid first and second sheet guide means, said side edge registeringmeans and said lead edge registering means whereby the latter are causedto move in response to rotation of said cam shaft.

13. A device according to claim 12 further including means for rotatingsaid cam shaft through a single revolution for each sheet deposited uponsaid sheet support means whereby said actuating means is operatedthrough a single cycle of the aforesaid series of movements for eachsheet deposited on said sheet support means.

14. A device according to claim 13 wherein said means for rotating saidcam shaft through said single revolution comprises means responsive to asheet being deposited on said sheet support means for initiatingrotation of said cam shaft, and means responsive to the completion ofone revolution of said cam shaft for terminating rotation thereof untilanother sheet is depos ited on said sheet support means.

l= l =l

1. A device for orienting sheets in a predetermined dimensional andtimed relationship between two independently operable instrumentalities,said device comprising: A. sheet support means adapted to be positionedbetween the instrumentalities to receive a sheet from oneinstrumentality and deliver the sheet to the other instrumentality, saidsheet support means being dimensioned to be at least slightly larger inlength and width than the corresponding dimensions of the sheet to behandled, B. means for feeding sheets onto said sheet support means insubstantially flat condition, C. sheet guide means mounted on saiddevice over substantially the entire extent of said support means inclosely spaced relationship with said support means for maintaining asheet thereon in substantially flat condition, D. movable side edgeregistering means mounted on said device for establishing apredetermined position of a sheet on said support means laterally withrespect to the direction of travel of the sheet along said supportmeans, E. movable lead edge registering means mounted on said deviceadjacent an inlet end of said sheet orienting device in position toengage the trailing edge of a sheet deposited on said support means bysaid feeding means for establishing a predetermined position of thesheet on said support means longitudinally with respect to the directionof travel of the sheet along said support means, F. actuating means formoving said side edge registering means and said lead edge registeringmeans in a predetermined timed sequence, and G. means operable toinitiate operation of said actuating means when a sheet is depositedupon said support means by said feeding means.
 2. A device as set forthin claim 1 wherein said means operable to initiate operation of saidactuating means comprises means responsive to the arrival of a sheet onsaid support means.
 3. A device according to claim 1 wherein saidactuating means for said side edge registering means and said lead edgeregistering means includes a source of power mounted on said orientingdevice for operating said actuating means, and said means operable toinitiate operation of said actuating means comprises means responsive tothe arrival of a sheet on said support means for energizing said sourceof power.
 4. A device according to claim 1 wherein said sheet guidemeans comprises a plurality of elongate fingers extending substantiallyhorizontally over said sheet support means and substantially from oneend of said sheet support means to the other, means mounting saidfingers for limited movement thereof toward and away from said supportmeans to facilitate entry and exit of a sheet to and from said sheetsupport means, and actuating means for moving said fingers.
 5. A deviceaccording to claim 1 wherein said sheet guide means comprises: A. afirst plurality of elongate fingers extending substantially horizontallyover said sheet support means from an intermediate location toward oneend of said sheet support means, B. a second plurality of elongatefingers extending substantially horizontally over said sheet supportmeans from said intermediate location toward the opposite end of saidsheet support means, C. means disposed at said intermediate location formounting said first and second plurality of fingers for movement towardand away from said sheet support means to facilitate entry of a sheet toand from said sheet support means, and D. actuating means for movingsaid first and second plurality of fingers independently in apredetermined timed relationship.
 6. A device according to claim 5wherein said actuating means for said first and second plurality offingers and said actuating means for said side edge registering meansand said lead edge registering are operatively associated to actuatesaid first and second plurality of fingers in a predetermined timedrelationship with the actuation of said side edge registering means andsaid lead edge registering means.
 7. A device according to claim 6wherein said actuating means for said first and second plurality offingers, said side edge registering means and said front edgeregistering means includes a source of power for operating all saidactuating means, and wherein said means operable to initiate operationof said actuating means comprises means responsive to the arrival of asheet on said support means for energizing said source of power.
 8. Adevice according to claim 1 wherein said movable lead edge registeringmeans comprises: A. a plurality of spaced apart fingers projectingupwardly through apertures formed adjacent the entry end of said sheetsupport means, and B. means mounting said fingers on said sheet supportmeans for limited movement longitudinally of the direction of travel ofa sheet along said sheet support means, and wherein said sheet feedingmeans is mounted on said sheet support means in juxtaposition with theoutermost position of said fingers to thereby deposit a sheet on saidsheet support means in position to have the rear edge of a sheet engagedby said fingers when said fingers are moved by said actuating means. 9.A device for orienting sheets in a predetermined dimensional and timedrelationship between two independently operable instrumentalities, saiddevice comprising: A. sheet support means adapted to be positionedbetween the instrumentalities to receive a sheet from oneinstrumentality and deliver the sheet to the other instrumentality, saidsheet support means being dimensioned to be at least slightly larger inlength and width than the corresponding dimensions of the sheet to behandled, B. means for feeding sheets onto said support means insubstantially flat condition, C. sheet guide means mounted on saiddevice over substantially the entire extent of said sheet support meansin closely spaced relation with said sheet support means for limitedmovement toward and away from said sheet support means, D. side edgeregistering means mounted on said device along one longitudinal edge ofsaid sheet support means for limited movement toward and away from theopposite longitudinal edge of said sheet support means, E. lead edgeregistering means mounted on said device adjacent an inlet end of saidsheet orienting device in position to engage the trailing edge of asheet deposited on said support means by said feeding means adjacent onelateral edge of said sheet support means for movement toward and awayfrom the opposite lateral edge of said sheet support means, and F.actuating means for moving said sheet guide means, said side edgeregistering means and said lead edge registering means successively in apredetermined timed sequence whereby said sheet guide means moves towardsaid sheet support means to maintain a sheet thereon in flat condition,said side edge registering means then moves toward said oppositelongitudinal edge to register the sheet laterally of said sheet supportmeans and said lead edge registering means then moves toward saidopposite lateral edge to register the sheet longitudinally of said sheetsupport means.
 10. A device according to claim 9 wherein said sheetguide means comprises: A. first guide means extending substantiallyhorizontally over said sheet support means from an intermediate locationtoward one end of said sheet support means, B. second guide meansextending substantially horizontally over said sheet support means fromsaid intermediate location toward the other end of said sheet supportmeans, and C. means disposed at said intermediate location for mountingsaid first and second guide means for independent movement toward andaway from said sheet support means.
 11. A device according to claim 10wherein said actuating means includes means for moving said first andsecond guide means independently of each other and in predeterminedtimed sequence with said side edge registering means and said lead edgeregistering means such that said first guide means moves toward saidsheet support means prior to said side edge registering means movingtoward said opposite longitudinal edge and said second sheet guide meansmoves away from said sheet support means after said lead edgeregistering means moves toward said opposite lateral edge.
 12. A deviceaccording to claim 11 wherein said actuating means comprises: A. a camshaft, B. a plurality of cams fixedly mounted on said cam shaft, one foreach of said first and second sheet guide means, said side edgeregistering means and said lead edge registering means, C. a pluralityof cam followers operatively associated with said cams, and D. linkagemeans operatively interconnecting said cam followers with said first andsecond sheet guide means, said side edge registering means and said leadedge registering means whereby the latter are caused to move in responseto rotation of said cam shaft.
 13. A device according to claim 12further including means for rotating said cam shaft through a singlerevolution for each sheet deposited upon said sheet support meanswhereby said actuating means is operated through a single cycle of theaforesaid series of movements for each sheet deposited on said sheetsupport means.
 14. A device according to claim 13 wherein said means forrotating said cam shaft through said single revolution comprises meansresponsive to a sheet being deposited on said sheet support means forinitiating rotation of said cam shaft, and means responsive to thecompletion of one revolution of said cam shaft for terminating rotationthereof until another sheet is deposited on said sheet support means.